Where the heck is DB Hawthorne???

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Yeah...we call him deadeye. He is one of the bucks I have been after for two years. I like it because I can always find him in trailcam pics even when he isn't wearing his headgear.... As of right now it looks like he will be surviving another year unless old age, winter, predators or other natural causes get him.

[gjbruny]

pretty impressive mass too!!!!

Ernie had send me a text telling me to check these out....... i was going to be mean and say something to the effect that i didn't realize we were hunting the same buck (the first buck) and that i'd post the hero pics and story tomorrow...... then give it a few days and then ask how franticly you were checking your trail cam pics LOL!!!!! i had it typed out but didn't have the heart to post it.

good luck in getting him, he is a true giant!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

  Thanks gj. If he was living where he was just a few weeks ago I wouldn't be worried by such an email because even though he was on public land I had him figured out (as best one can with these mountain bucks) and I knew only one other guy was in his core area hunting him. However, now I would probably believe it because I have no idea where the buck is since I haven't seen him since the 15th (as opposed to getting daily...or rather nightly...photos before).

I haven't seen you on here much this year. How is your season going?

[gjbruny]

don't worry too much, they are back to trolling. really really late rut this year.... at least around here. watched a 3 year old breed a 1-2 year old doe this evening out in our pasture. bucks are just starting to show back up on the cams in the last 3 or so days on my place.

haven't been on the internet much in the last year or so.

season went well...... well, as well as could be expected. didn't have a whole lot of mature bucks make it through last winter. killed one of 2, 5 year olds on our place on monday. stubby 5x6 with great mass. only scored in the upper 130s but fully mature. 41 yard shot with my recurve, he went 40 before falling. watched him browsing in the brush for 30 minutes before walking past me..... was hoping he would take the trail 15 yards from my stand but instead just browsed through the grass 41 yards out on his way to the winter wheat. spotted him several hundred yards out. cool thing is, this is the first buck i have taken off our place since we bought it..... been doing all the farming and improving bedding habitat so the buck wasn't as meaningful as the entire process itself.

[gjbruny]

forgot to mention, a bud killed a buck in the low 140s last night that was full on bird-dogging a doe..... he had to shoot him on the walk because he couldn't get him to stop. to be honest, i really dislike the rut when focused on a specific deer..... it is a blast in the midwest, but when you set your sights on one animal, it is not so fun LOL!!! i hadn't glassed or had a pic of my buck in over 9 days before i killed him this season. normally, seems like the mature bucks start becoming patternable again around that 5th-7th of december........ right before the early dropped fawn does and does that didn't get bred in the rut come into heat.

again, good luck!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I know what you mean...the rut makes a predictable buck unpredictable. It does get them moving but sometimes that is a bad thing.

[buck man]

He will probably be back DB. My big 4 showed back up after a 3 week vacation.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Very nice!!

[Teamroper]

DB,
That buck in your trail cam pics was taken by a friend of a friend, I have dead pics of him I will see if I can share...

[Caseyd]

DB,
That buck in your trail cam pics was taken by a friend of a friend, I have dead pics of him I will see if I can share...

marking this thread for follow up 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Teamroper. I received word and pics from the hunter the day after harvest. I do appreciate you letting me know though. If I was hunting the buck it would suck to continue investing my time when he is already taken.

[heavy hauler]

great pics. cant wait to see how the story ends

[stickbuck]

DB, so was the dead buck shot by another hunter, "dead-eye"?

[BeeMan]

Sorry you didnt get him DB!!    Now your gonna have to convince dead-eye to come in durring the day....

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I am hiking in to hunt him tomorrow. If he hasn't come in during daylight by next Monday then I am pulling everything and waiting until next year to locate him again.